By Owen Pfeiffer
BUFFALO — A new state study of New York’s quantum technology industry ranks the state second in the country. It also shows how little of that activity is in Western New York, just as the state picks hosts for up to four regional quantum hubs worth as much as $15 million each.
The Quantum Technology Landscape Study was released Friday by Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office. It was commissioned by Empire State Development’s science and technology division, NYSTAR, and prepared by The Quantum Insider. It counts 134 operating entities, 219 research groups and 734 patent families tied to quantum technology in New York, second only to California on all three measures.
“New York is building the foundation for the next generation of technological breakthroughs, and quantum technology represents an enormous opportunity for our economy,” Gov. Hochul said in the announcement.
Where Western New York lands
The study maps quantum capability by region across eight parts of the supply chain, from academic research to end customers. Western New York’s row shows 12 academic and research entries, three in materials and components, one each for community organizations, quantum systems, hybrid computing infrastructure and end customers, and none in fabrication or software.
New York City’s row shows 73 academic entries and 44 end customers. The Southern Tier has 66 academic entries, anchored by Cornell, and the Finger Lakes region has 17 in materials and components, reflecting Rochester’s optics and photonics base.
The study describes the region’s role narrowly: “Western New York contributes research capacity through the University at Buffalo and Empire AI.” It notes that the Empire AI consortium “operates its Beta machine at Buffalo, providing advanced AI and HPC capacity that supports simulation, benchmarking and research activities relevant to quantum development.” It puts the University at Buffalo’s university research and development spending at $542 million.
SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said that Stony Brook, “along with the State University of New York centers at Buffalo, Binghamton, and Albany — are leading the way on quantum.”
The money and the hubs
The state has committed $360 million: $300 million for a Quantum Research and Innovation Hub at Stony Brook and $60 million in the FY 2027 budget for up to four Regional Quantum Technology Commercialization Hubs. Each hub would also run an incubator for quantum startups. The study estimates the spending could support $2.3 billion to $5 billion in economic activity and 7,200 to 10,100 job-years through 2036.
ESD opened the hub competition in August, with applications due Oct. 14. Hosts have not been announced, and it is not public whether a Buffalo-area applicant is in the running.
NYSTAR Executive Director Ben Verschueren tied the hubs directly to the study. “Orchestrating our existing network will be critical, underscoring the importance of Regional Quantum Technology Commercialization Hubs to the overall effort,” he said. “Just as we did with semiconductors, connecting our statewide capabilities in quantum will unlock incredible economic potential.”
ESD President and CEO Hope Knight said the study “confirms that our state has the research institutions, manufacturing capabilities and industry expertise needed to compete in the growing quantum economy.”
The jobs question
For a region trying to grow advanced manufacturing, the study’s workforce findings may matter more than its rankings. It calls the technician workforce one of the state’s main gaps, describing a need for fabrication and assembly technicians, cryogenics skills and associate-level pathways. It also says technician skills transfer between semiconductor microelectronics and quantum.
The governor’s release makes the same pitch, saying quantum could bring “high-growth manufacturing, research, and technician roles that do not require an advanced degree.”
The study does not make a case for any particular region as a hub host. It says the state’s regions are “complementary rather than duplicative.” The test for Buffalo is whether its research base, including UB and the Empire AI machine, can win one of the four hubs and the incubator that comes with it.
The Buffalo Chronicle has asked ESD whether any Western New York applications were filed and when hub hosts will be named.
Featured image: Photo: Andre Carrotflower / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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